Inari
by KingBlue10
Summary: The Prankster King of Konoha truly outdid himself today of all day, April Fools. He managed to make a full of everyone in Konoha no one was safe, but from pulling off him various pranks across the village Naruto managed to catch the eye of a certain group of ninjas within Konoha. Who knew all those pranks Naruto pulled would land him an offer to possibly join ANBU. NaruSaku
1. The Trickster

Inari

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

 **Author's Notice: Hey everyone this is yet another new story I am adding to the list, if you guys haven't checked my other stories please do because I'm sure you guys will enjoy them. I'm just adding more and more stories to work on to keep things fresh for me, I love writing but recently with university, work and my social life I was lacking a bit of time and inspiration so I decided to start these new stories to get me inspired to write again. The new stories other than this one of course are called the Legendary Three and The Will of Fire. While you're at it check out the latest update of The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage as well, I just released Chapter 21. But while you're here speaking of the Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage, if you voted on the poll in my profile you'll see that NaruSakuIno won the fanservice poll and it is now closed. Thanks for everyone who voted much love everyone.**

 **Also, guys continue to keep an eye out I'm planning on making a few other new Naruto stories and I even have a One Piece story in the works. For those who don't know despite all my Naruto stories, One Piece is my favorite anime and manga and I am excited to write about Luffy and his adventures with the Strawhat pirates. So, for my fellow One Piece fans, tune in because it might be released sometime in the foreseeable future.**

 **The basis of this story will be about, as you know this will be about ANBU and more specifically Naruto in ANBU. I've always believed that Naruto had the potential for this line of work, his ability to sneak around and prank everyone while wearing orange and his ability to get away from it made him a possible candidate for ANBU and this story will delve deep into that.**

 **As per usual this story will be NaruSaku and sorry non-negotiable, anyway thanks everyone for reading this story please head over to my profile and check out my others while you're at it. I really appreciate the help and the support guys, please favorite and follow and review. If you have any questions or suggestions for my stories please leave a review or pm me, thanks again everyone and please enjoy my latest uploads.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Trickster**

April Fools, a day dreaded by most of Konoha because this was the one day a certain village prankster thrived the most. This day was special to that individual, he'd pull out all the stops to make sure he'd top his pranks from the year before. He was a perfectionist when it came to pranks and tricks, he was a born trickster and by Kami did he have a natural born talent for mischief.

The infamous prankster was known as Naruto Uzumaki, at the moment the young man was sitting on a hill silently observing everyone's reactions to his April Fools pranks thus far. The day was still relatively young and even then, Naruto had managed to unleash so many pranks all over his village and upon his fellow villagers.

Early in the morning was his wakeup call to Konoha to warn them of their impending doom, Naruto woke up extra early to enact a plan he had been working on for months on end. He decided to go and sneakily paint the Hokage's monument, he painted all over the faces of the four Hokages which caused a massive outrage among the village. Many of the villagers didn't find the defacing and the vandalism of the statues amusing, but instead disrespectful. But Naruto didn't pay any attention to the villagers, he wasn't doing this to be in their good books, he did this to get the attention he so craved.

After that early morning warning prank to notify the villagers, Naruto went on to slowly prank various shopkeepers, clan heads, council members, classmates and even academy teachers. Nothing was out of bounds for Naruto, but was amazed everyone was that despite the consensus already knowing that it was Naruto at the root of all these pranks, the young blonde was meticulous and clever enough not to leave any traces that would lead back to him. It was only due to reputation that everyone knew Naruto was guilty, but even then, there was no proof that Naruto committed the pranks.

Having done all those pranks Naruto was finally ready to unveil his grand finale, his pièce de résistance if you will. Naruto started with a bang and wanted to end with a bang, much like the Hokage Monument prank he had been planning this prank for months on end. With a slight chuckle Naruto stood in front of a shady broken down and abandoned building, to the untrained eye it was just that but young Naruto managed to uncover that this was Konoha's ANBU headquarters. For weeks, the young boy tailed ANBU operative until it led him here, and now they were in for a major surprise at the hands of the blonde.

The young man snuck in the rickety old building and upon entrance he found that there was indeed a long dark tunnel passage heading downwards, Naruto slyly walked through the passage until a few minutes later he found himself at a dead end with a strange brick wall in front of him. The young boy was unfazed, having tailed the ANBU operatives he learned that he simply had to press a few of the bricks in the wall and luckily for him he managed to mark in his notes which ones were needed.

He pressed the five bricks required the brick wall slowly moved aside allowing Naruto to enter, upon arrival the young blonde was fortunate enough that the ANBU operatives appeared to be out around Konoha in search of the prankster who was disturbing the peace of Konoha. Naruto couldn't help but feel proud of himself, all of his other plans had been purposely done not only to amuse Naruto but also to allow him to act upon his final trick without disturbance.

A sinister grin etched itself on the blonde's face and all around the rooms and offices of the ANBU HQ he dropped a small storage scroll. Naruto couldn't contain his laughter, he saved up money for weeks to buy these storage scrolls containing thousands upon thousands of colorful plastic balls, and now there was at least one storage scroll in each office and room in the base. All that was needed now was a single hand seal and all scrolls would unleash the rubber balls, Naruto first made his way to the entrance of the base by the brick wall door where it all began, and he mentally counted down from ten to one. Finally, as it reached to one Naruto formed a single hand seal and all the sealed plastic balls were set free from the storage scrolls filling up all the rooms and offices in ANBU HQ, Naruto couldn't contain his laughter upon seeing the havoc he unleashed. He was dying to just see the reactions of the ANBU operatives but he knew he had to leave so that they wouldn't be able to find him, and so with that the young man ran as fast as he could outside the base choosing to listen in from as far as he could.

For some reason Naruto's senses such as hearing, smelling and seeing were stronger than most children, unbeknown to Naruto it was due to the demonic fox residing in him. So, Naruto stood rather far away and after twenty minutes passed he heard angered screams and roars coming from the abandoned building which housed the ANBU HQ, and that was his cue to leave. He contained his laughter as much as he can and he decided to leave early before ANBU set out their operatives in search of him.

* * *

 **Naruto's Apartment**

The young blonde continued to laugh he managed to pull off all the pranks in his list and he managed to witness all the reactions of his victims. Overall all the meticulous planning and preparations were more than worth it for Naruto, he achieved what he set out to do and dare he say it he outdid himself.

After a hard day's work of pranks Naruto was finally prepared to call it a day, he opened the front door of his apartment and upon entering he was greeted by the sight of the Sandaime Hokage Hiruzen helping himself to some of Naruto's tea.

Now Naruto knew the exact reason why the Hokage was there but he decided to play dumb a bit, "Hey jiji what are you doing here?" he asked nonchalantly.

Hiruzen rolled his eyes clearly seeing through the young blonde's innocent façade, "You know the reason why Naruto, the whole entire village have been complaining about pranks even my ANBU operatives are livid from what happened. Everyone knows it was you behind it Naruto" he replied.

Naruto pretended to act shocked, "Pranks? You know I'd never do such a thing, how would a kid like me even manage to piss off ANBU? You give me too much credit jiji" he replied before a wee shit-eating grin adorned his face, "Also there's no direct evidence leading the pranks back to me" he said in a very smug tone.

The Hokage couldn't help but chuckle as he shook his head, "Touché Naruto-kun, I must say you really did outdo yourself this year. All the elders, Jonin and ANBU operative and even the civilian council members are handing in complaint forms. You really did a number on them" he said.

Naruto smiled proudly knowing full well he wasn't convincing the Hokage otherwise, "I don't know what you're talking about jiji all I did today was go for a walk and eat a bit of ramen, you know the usual" he replied.

"Well whatever it is Naruto-kun you still are our number one suspect despite there being no evidence leading back to you, everyone knows you did it anyway kid. So you're going to have to come with me to my office"

The prankster sighed, "Sure thing jiji I'll just quickly grab a bite to eat, I'm starving"

* * *

 **Hokage's Office**

Naruto now stood in front of the Hokage's desk next to quite many pissed off officials. The Hokage's office was littered with people ranging from Jonin, Chunin, Civilian Council Members, Village Elders, Shopkeepers and ANBU operatives all complaining about the damage and havoc wreaked today by the blonde prankster. Naruto couldn't help but smile inwardly seeing how flustered everyone was.

The main complaints went down to the defacement of the Hokage Monument and the plastic ball prank in the ANBU HQ, those two were the big ones for the day.

The noise in the lone office sounded like there was a riot in the room with everyone demanding Naruto be severely punished for his actions but even then Hiruzen couldn't do so since the sly kid made sure to leave no trace leading back to him, it was a clean getaway. But Hiruzen was soon reaching at wit's end, he couldn't think or even manage to speak that much with the level of noise in the room.

"Everyone be silent" Hiruzen yelled to shut everyone up, when the God of Shinobi spoke up and told you to shut up you better shut the hell up.

The Hokage looked around the room, "I want everyone to leave the room, including you Naruto all of you wait by the waiting room while I sort this out myself" he said. The complainers all grumbled and sighed wanting to give the kid a piece of their mind but the Hokage had the final say in the matter.

Everyone left one by one save for a sole ANBU captain, the only person in the room who refrained from complaining at the young blonde, instead amongst the chaos the grey spiky haired ANBU captain peacefully read through his favorite book in the world, Icha Icha Paradise.

Naruto smiled as he noticed the ANBU Captain before leaving the room, he was one of the few people in the village who was nice to him and he used to protect him when he was a kid alongside other ANBU operatives like Kamaitachi and Neko.

"Hey Inu-niisan" he greeted exuberantly.

"Yo Naruto" he replied before watching Naruto exit the office.

The Hokage raised a single eyebrow at the lone ANBU Captain's appearance in room, "Inu did you not hear my orders?" asked the Hokage.

Inu placed the book away back into his pocket before walking over to the front of the Hokage's desk, "I did Hokage-sama but there is something important I need to talk to you about concerning Naruto and I feel now is the best time for us to talk about this" he said in a voice stressing it was of the utmost importance. Hiruzen sighed and decided to let him speak.

"Alright then Inu what did you want to tell me then?" he asked curiously.

Inu grinned underneath his mask, "Hokage-sama I wish to take Naruto under my wing in ANBU" he said.

Hiruzen remained composed but was surprised nonetheless by Inu's statement. The Hokage knew Inu very well, well enough to know that he was a lone wolf type of person not the type to take on a student, let alone a student like Naruto Uzumaki.

"You caught my attention Inu, please explain further"

"Hokage-sama as we just witnessed today Naruto right here managed to prank the whole village with ease, and he did so right under our noses. Not even mentioning the fact he managed to uncover where our hidden ANBU HQ was, these skills right now are used on pranks and from this the kid has managed to show a level of composure and efficient and tactical planning. He needed to be stealthy, sly, cunning and so on to pull these off, let alone pull these off without a single trace of pure evidence. The kid is skilled in the arts of pranking and I for one believe these could be reapplied to ANBU. Naruto has shown information gathering skills, escape skills, stealth, skills at strategy and planning, and so on"

Hiruzen nodded understanding where Kakashi was coming from but in all honesty, he wasn't convinced just yet, "That may be true Inu but you know of all people just how dark and unforgiving the ANBU lifestyle can be, and in all honesty Naruto may be skilled in those areas but he is far from ready to be an ANBU operative at this age. He isn't you and he isn't Kamaitachi, he still has a long way to go in terms of his ninjutsu skills" he replied.

"I understand that Hokage-sama but I'm not asking for you to make him a full-pledged ANBU operative out of the gate I'm just asking for him to be somewhat like an ANBU-In-Training and I will be more than happy to supervise his training myself, I'm willing to fit him in my schedule. Besides you and I know Hokage-sama that Naruto isn't learning jack shit from the academy, we know they're biased towards the kid and we owe him and his parents for what they sacrificed for the village. Let me take him under my wing, his father was my sensei and I owe it to him to make sure his son grows up to be a fine ninja like his father. He has so much potential and it would only be wasted with the current status quo"

Hiruzen sighed in defeat, "You promise me you'll make sure you train him well? Please also promise me that you discipline the kid and make sure he doesn't have days like this again, I love the brat but he definitely makes my life harder sometimes" he said with a slight chuckle.

Inu nodded, "Hai Hokage-sama I promise" he said.

"Also, there is another problem, you already know about Danzo's similar plan to induct Naruto-kun into ROOT. Well I don't want any suspicion over Naruto-kun and so because of that he should remain in the academy and train with you in his spare time, and he can't show off what he learns with you in school. We want him to remain the same throughout his academy days meaning he maintains his current grades despite how bad they are, we just don't want to arouse any suspicion until Naruto is ready"

"Fair enough Hokage-sama, consider it done" Inu replied confidently.

"Alright then Inu, call in Naruto and dismiss the other people for me" he ordered. Inu nodded and quickly left the office for a second and not too long after he returned with the young blonde by his side.

"Hey jiji what's up now?" asked the young kid.

"You really made a mess of things today Naruto-kun, I plan on telling the complainers that if they manage to find evidence of your role in the pranks only then you'll be punished but for now there isn't a single piece leading back to you though. But out of pure curiosity can you tell me if it was really you? I promise I won't tell them and this secret will remain between us three" said the Hokage.

Naruto chuckled before nodding his head, "Hai jiji you should have seen everyone's faces, they couldn't believe it when I pulled out the big guns for these pranks. I really went all out on this one and honestly jiji no regrets whatsoever it was fun" he exclaimed.

Hiruzen smirked, "Thought so, that was impressive Naruto but please refrain from doing so from now on. It only serves to make my day that much more difficult with all the work I have to do" he said.

"Sure, thing jiji whatever you say" Naruto replied halfheartedly.

"Anyway, Naruto the reason I called you back in here was because Inu and I had a serious discussion about you and we want to know what you think"

"Alright jiji what is it about then?" he asked.

"Due to the skills and abilities you showed by your pranks throughout the day Inu here has recommended you to join ANBU as an apprentice. ANBU-In-Training if you will"

This was the least thing Naruto expected right now, the young blonde's eyes widened in shock and his jaw fell to the ground he wondered if his hearing was alright because if he wasn't mistaken he was just asked to join ANBU.

"Now Naruto this is a very unorthodox method of joining, usually its Jonin that show exceptional skill or every now and then prodigious Chunin. But you have shown a strange ability that is required for this line of work and it is an ability not many people have. You use it on pranks but if focused on ANBU you could have a potentially successful career in that field of work. We've all seen what you're capable of and you have the intangible skills needed all you need to brush up on is your knowledge, taijutsu, physical fitness and ninjutsu because at the moment you already have the information gathering skills, the stealth, the cunningness and the ability to escape without leaving a trace. If you really put your mind to it Naruto you could be an amazing ANBU member and this isn't an exaggeration"

Naruto blushed and it took him a few seconds to recollect himself, "I don't know what to say jiji this is a major honor" he said.

Hiruzen nodded, "It really is Naruto no one in history has ever acquired the rank of ANBU in this way, but for now if you choose to accept there will be stipulations you have to agree on first" he explained.

"What are these requirements?"

"First off we need you to act as you do normally in the academy and when in the view of other people meaning you cannot show off what you learn you need to act like yourself right now so that people won't get suspicious. Also, you are not allowed to go on missions until we deem you ready, you will strictly be in training under Inu's guide until then. Otherwise there are no other major rules"

"Yeah, I can definitely do that, this is a major honor and I'm thankful you guys think so highly of me. I won't make you guys regret it I promise, I'll be the best ANBU guy there is and after all that is said and done I'll be taking your job soon jiji" Naruto exclaimed triumphantly.

"I'm sure you will Naruto-kun but for now take your training seriously and take things one step at a time. Inu won't be taking it easy on you and make sure he didn't make a mistake choosing you for this, prove him right Naruto-kun"

Inu walked over and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "He's right you know, my training for you will be brutal and severe but that will be the only way we'll make you better. So, I want you to be prepared when we begin because I will not take it easy on you. I chose you because I saw something in you and because I know you can be great Naruto, even greater than the Yondaime Hokage" he said.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock before looking up at Inu, this was a strange sensation he was feeling right now. He rarely got complimented let alone be praised like this, it was definitely a good feeling when someone believes in you.

"Thanks guys I promise I won't let either of you guys down. Bring on your worst Inu-niisan I'll crush any obstacle you place my way. I accept this proposal jiji, believe it"

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Hey guys here is yet another new story of mine, hope you guys enjoyed this like the others. Make sure to also check my profile page for my other stories. Please continue supporting my work I really appreciate it, and also if you guys have any questions or suggestions for my stories please feel free to leave a review or to pm me. Thanks again everyone this was all much appreciated.


	2. Inari

Inari

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

 **Author's Notice: Hey guys sorry for the long absence but I'm back again with the latest chapter for this story. I'll keep the notice short, sweet and to the point. Thanks everyone for the usual support much love to all my readers. Thanks especially for the patience. As per usual please favorite, follow and review, and if you have any questions, suggestions and whatnot do not hesitate to hit me up either by leaving a review or sending me a pm. I also plan on updating the other stories soon enough, you guys are awesome for bearing me and my laziness sometimes. Thanks again fam and peace out.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Inari**

It was an early day in Konoha, Naruto was not necessarily a fan of waking up before sunrise, but these were the requirements of his training and, so it had to be done. The young blonde was suited in his ANBU uniform for the first time, but unlike the other ANBU members he had a plainly blank white mask. It wasn't until he graduated from his ANBU-In-Training role to be an actual ANBU operative that he would be awarded a mask with an animal design like Inu and Neko. But for now, this had to do, Naruto was happy enough being trained.

The young blonde was shivering as he stood in the Forest of Death with both Inu and Neko themselves staring down at him from atop the trees. Initially Inu was the only one meant to train Naruto, but when Neko had learned from Inu himself that he was training Naruto, she demanded that she joined in to help mentor and teach the boy.

Naruto had a small smile underneath his mask, he was excited to get his training started off and he was more than happy to have both Inu and Neko train him. Those two along with the Weasel ANBU operative have been guarding and watching over him since his childhood and so they were like older siblings to him. But despite this strange bond with these ANBU operatives, Naruto had yet to actually meet them without the ANBU masks, he only knows them as Inu and Neko. He had no idea what they looked like, or what their real names were. He had tried to find out so many times in the past but to no success, so he decided to drop the topic for now. But he still remained curious as to who were the people behind the mask.

The young blonde was broken from his thoughts when the two ANBU operatives jumped down from the tree branches to face him. They landed effortlessly like a feather, Inu walked over to Naruto and towered over him. Unlike his usual disinterested self, this Inu seemed more serious.

"Naruto one of your main strengths from what we've seen thus far is your incredible stamina and enormous chakra reserves" said Inu as Naruto beamed with pride, "But there lies your own weakness as well. Due to your abnormally large chakra reserves it makes it harder for you to control your chakra and as a result you have very lackluster chakra control. But also, physically your stamina is the only noteworthy attribute you hold"

Naruto's ego plummeted quicker than it rose when Inu complimented him earlier on, the smile on his face morphed quickly into a look of disbelief.

'If you're trying to motivate me Inu-niisan, it's not really working' he silently thought to himself.

"But that is why we are training you" said the spiky haired ANBU, "We see a lot of potential in you and we want you to live up to that potential. And the potential you hold for our line of work is tremendous. So, if you buckle down, listen to what we say, do as we say and play your cards right you will have a successful ANBU career, and who knows you might even go up from being ANBU to becoming Hokage one day"

"Yeah now were talking" the blonde yelled excitedly as he pumped up his fist into the air. The two ANBU operatives chuckled at the display.

"For today Naruto we will begin with the basics" said Inu as he threw Naruto two pairs of chakra weights, "Alright Naruto I want you to attach these weights to your ankles and wrists"

The young blonde nodded and did as he was told, the beads on the weights then lit up as it merged with his chakra and from that he suddenly felt the massive increase in weights surrounding his body. It was painful at first for his joints and it made it hard for him to stand up let alone move.

Inu had a sinister smirk underneath his mask as he stared at the struggling blonde, "Alright Naruto to begin the day I want you to do fifty laps around the forest clearing" he ordered. Naruto gulped as he looked at his surroundings it was a rather large forest clearing and with weights these heavy it would be nearly impossible to do such a thing.

"But that's not all Naruto, after that I want you to go and climb up and down that tree with the weights still attached, and do that 25 times" said Inu as he pointed towards one of the largest trees in the vicinity. Naruto was starting to regret his decision to join, but it was too late to back out now.

* * *

 **Hours Later**

Naruto had finally finished the obstacles placed upon him by Inu, he was laying in the ground panting and drenched in sweat. His whole body was in utter pain and he was finding it difficult to stand, let alone walk or run. He expected a difficult training session, but this was just insane.

Inu and Neko walked over to Naruto, Neko sighed and threw Naruto a bottle of water and a towel to wipe off the sweat.

"Now Naruto I want you to keep those weights on you until I say so, even when you're at home, at the movies, at a restaurant or whatever you must not remove them unless I say so" said Inu.

Naruto gingerly sat up and glared at the ANBU operative, "What? Are you insane?" he yelled. Inu chuckled as he shook his head, "Possibly, but like I said Naruto you need to do as I say so trust me. You need to keep those on until I say so" he reiterated.

The young blonde sighed, he was living in hell. After a few more minutes of resting Naruto stood up to pack his stuff ready to leave and call it a day. But he was stopped once he heard Inu's voice call out to him.

"What are you doing Naruto?" he asked.

"Umm packing up? Isn't training over?" he asked.

"What? No Naruto, that was just our warmup. We'll be doing something like that everyday for training"

Naruto's eyes bulged out in shock, "That was just a warm up?" he yelled in disbelief.

Inu nodded, "Yeah and this was the easy beginner phase. Later on, we'll be increasing the weights and you'll have to do crunches, pushups, squats and lunges among other exercises" he replied nonchalantly.

Naruto couldn't find the energy to even reply to that, he simply dropped his things back to the ground speechless at how such a grueling exercise was simply the warm up for the day. Even worse was how it was the beginner level and how this had to be done every single day they trained.

With a sadistic smile underneath his mask Inu called for Naruto to join him and Neko. Naruto sighed before gingerly walking over to his two trainers.

"Alright Naruto now begins the real training, for now though we will not be teaching you any proper jutsus just yet. Before we reach that stage, we need you to hone and master the basics so that you will have a better grasp of ninjutsu. We will only begin to teach you jutsus once we deem you ready"

"Wait what? What will you be teaching me instead?" asked a deflated Naruto. He was tired, but he was excited to learn some jutsus, but upon hearing the declaration made by his two teachers his initial enthusiasm was replaced quickly by disappointment.

"Until we deem you ready to finally learn jutsus, we will continue to improve your physical conditioning until you are fast, fit, strong and flexible enough for what we want to teach you. Aside from that we will be working extensively on your taijutsu. We will also delve onto the basics of ANBU stealth, infiltration and information gathering. You have a natural talent for those departments, so it probably won't take long for you to get a hang of those" explained Inu.

"Okay cool, so what else will we be doing?" asked an intrigued Naruto. He knew there was no point in arguing, right now he was just eager to get the basics down on lock, so he could finally learn all the cool, kick ass jutsus that would totally outdo the jutsus of his rival Sasuke along with the rest of his class.

"We will also be teaching you chakra control and genjutsu defense, while also helping you further increase your chakra reserves. Mastering chakra control will probably be the most the difficult but rewarding part of our basics training. If you learn to control your chakra jutsus will come naturally to you and you will be open to learning more and more techniques seeing how every technique requires proper control of one's chakra" Inu further answered.

"Also for the next few days I personally will be judging you and teaching you in your usage of ninja equipment such as shuriken, kunai and explosive tags. I'm an expert in Kenjutsu and in the usage of Bukijutsu, so I will be in charge of discerning what will be your weapon" Neko added on, "Most ANBU specialize in weapons and as I said I specialize in the use of swords and blades. I will judge whether you have what it takes to use a sword and if you do I will be able to train you myself in the ways of the sword. But other than that, I will also be teaching you how to perfect your shurikenjutsu to go along with whatever weapon I decide suits your fighting style best"

"Other than training with us now, we also expect you to keep up your training without us. It doesn't have to be what we are doing right now but it would be good if you continue to practice our exercises even when we are not around. It'll only make your development that much faster. Unfortunately, we will not always be here to train you seeing how we might be sent on missions from time to time and in the instance neither of us are available we expect you to continue practicing your craft, you mustn't stagnate in your development continue to train even without us" explained Inu.

"It would be even more preferable if in your spare time you decide to study" added Neko.

Naruto deflated upon hearing that, as exhausted as he was right now and even though his whole body was in utter pain he preferred this over studying. Compared to studying, the physical training he went through today was a walk in the park.

"I know what you're thinking Naruto, but she's right" said Inu, "ANBU need to be smart and intelligent. Especially Hokage, you know what the Sandaime's duties are. Most of his duties aren't in the battlefield they're mostly in his office managing the day to day running of Konoha. If you really want to be Hokage you need to buckle down and study, it's a necessary evil Naruto"

The young blonde sighed in defeat before nodding his head, "Very well, I mean if it helps me become Hokage I guess I can try and do it" he replied.

"Don't try to do it Naruto-kun, actually do it" Neko answered swiftly before Naruto conceded and nodded his head once more.

"Also, one final thing Naruto, we need you to go and watch your diet. We will send you food personally and we expect you to cut down on the ramen" said Inu.

Now Naruto was in utter shock, "No anything but that please" he begged the two of them.

Inu shook his head, "Sorry Naruto but this another thing that must be done, if you want to grow big and strong, and for your physical conditioning to really have an effect you need to eat right and fuel your body with the proper nutrients lacked by ramen. I'm not telling you to quit altogether but maybe don't have it as the main food of your diet. Have it maybe a few times a week" he said.

Naruto looked like he wanted to cry, this was a living nightmare. When he decided to join this, it was obvious that he didn't know what he was signing up for, but unfortunately it was too late to back out now and Naruto was too stubborn for his own good. He hated the sacrifices he had to make, but he wanted to be a great ninja so it all had to be done.

Inu clapped his hands before smiling at Naruto, "Alright with all that now done it's time to really begin your training. To start off with I'll be teaching you how to really climb up trees" he said.

Naruto looked at him in confusion, "What do you mean? Didn't I just climb up trees a while ago?" he asked, "What was so wrong with that?"

"To a ninja that's the wrong way of climbing up a tree, let me show you how it's really done" he said.

* * *

 **Three Years Later**

Three years had passed since Naruto had begun his training, slowly but surely Naruto began to learn the basics until the point he was generally quite adept in most of the skills. He was far from being a master, but he was definitely far above than most of his age group when it came to these particular skills.

But despite the growth he had made, he continued to play it dumb in the academy as instructed by the Hokage and Inu. They didn't want him arousing any suspicion and so for his own protection they made him play dumb during his time at the academy. He continued to perform worse than the rest of his class, and he continued to get in trouble with the teachers.

The only noticeable difference for Naruto was the growth in height and size, due to the change of diet given to him by Inu and Neko he began to eat more proteins and proper carbs leading to a growth spurt. He was by far one of the tallest students in his class, and his physique was beginning to show the muscles he developed in training. But thankfully Naruto continued to wear his baggy orange jumpsuit, and because of how baggy it was it managed to hide the growing size of the young boy.

In the span of the first year, Neko had watched Naruto and after a full month of trials and errors with weapons she decided that the best weapon suited for Naruto were swords. She was more than delighted seeing how swords were her specialty and so with that she began to teach Naruto the basics of kenjutsu. Naruto was a keen learner in the art of Kenjutsu and Shurikenjutsu, and he showed a natural proficiency in the usage of weapons. Anything truly combat related Naruto was more than interested in all honesty.

Throughout that year Naruto also finally managed to truly learn the identities of Neko and Inu, it took a while but after getting closer and closer with the two of them they trusted him enough with their identities. Naruto couldn't believe that the guy known as Kakashi Hatake was actually really Inu, and he soon learned that Neko was actually a woman named Yugao Uzuki. They weren't just older sibling figures to Naruto anymore, at this point he now saw them as teachers and friends of his.

There were times in the past three years wherein neither Yugao and Inu were available to train Naruto, sometimes their absence would last for weeks and there were even sometimes wherein they were gone for a full month. Earlier on Naruto was forced to train by himself, but eventually both Yugao and Kakashi managed to find a substitute sensei for Naruto whenever both of them were gone. The substitute was another ANBU operative known as Yamato, he was a former colleague of both Kakashi and Yugao, and the two of them vouched for the man. At first Naruto was creeped out by the man due to his scary eyes but eventually he got to know him and the two got along pretty well. Much like Inu and Neko, Yamato didn't seem to have a problem with Naruto and he was more than willing to train him in his spare time.

During the tenth month of Naruto's basic training, Kakashi and Yugao had decided Naruto was ready to finally move on to the second stage of their training. He was finally ready to learn some jutsus, it started off with the basic jutsus such as **Henge** , **Shunshin no Jutsu** , **Kawarimi** and the **Bunshin no Jutsu**. But unfortunately for Naruto he held too much chakra to form a normal **Bunshin no Jutsu** and so in its stead Kakashi taught Naruto the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** , an A-Rank jutsu. Naturally Naruto was extremely happy to learn such an advanced technique.

This was the beginning of something great, Naruto was beginning to truly develop under the tutelage of Kakashi, Yugao and Yamato. But even then, he was still far off from being promoted to be a true ANBU Operative, he had two more years of the academy and that was said to be the goal for the group. Once Naruto's batch in the academy were finally about to graduate into genin, that would be the preferred time to test Naruto to see if he was finally ready to take up the mantle as being an ANBU Operative of Konoha. It was a tall order, but two years was a long time, and with the teachers Naruto had he had the utmost confidence for his test. Now it was only a matter of what the Hokage would have him do to see if he truly was worthy of being a part of one of Konoha's elites.

The next two years continued to revolve around the basics, they wanted Naruto to master them but know that he had a foundation for his ninjutsu he began to learn more and more jutsus. In the early parts of the second year, Kakashi had even taught Naruto a training method using his shadow clones. It allowed Naruto to learn more and more in a short space of time by allowing his shadow clones to train in different areas of expertise, but in the end, he gets their knowledge and experience by simply dispelling them. To keep Naruto safe and to stop things from getting way too out of hand, Kakashi limited Naruto's clones in training to fifty at most.

In terms of jutsus, Kakashi and Neko focused in Naruto learning variations of clone jutsus, Kenjutsu, Shurikenjutsu, and a few other forms of combat ninjutsu. They also taught him supplemental jutsus such as the **Kanchi no Jutsu**. It helped tremendously that they found out how Naruto was a sensor type, it helped further with his infiltration, tracking and stealth. With the improvement of Naruto's chakra control they even managed to teach him some basic D-Rank and the occasional C-Rank Genjutsu, he struggled in this department but with the current training set up he managed to learn more and more but it was taking significantly longer than the other techniques he was learning.

At first, they were skeptical with Naruto's affinity towards Genjutsu, but after a full year and a half of chakra control training they learned that Naruto could learn the basics of Genjutsu with enough training. And after a while he did manage to learn the basics, they were nothing to fear but these Genjutsu techniques were enough to provide subtle advantages towards battles, and they allowed for either open spots in combat or clean escapes.

One thing Kakashi refrained from however was elemental manipulation, he decided Naruto wasn't ready for that yet and he was saving that for when Naruto finally graduated to become a proper ANBU operative. Naruto knew that, and he was willing to wait, at the moment he was still learning and mastering the current techniques he was being taught.

* * *

 **Academy Test**

Today was the big day, Naruto's classmates all sat excitedly at the seats around the room. The young blonde played it cool, the test had been finished earlier today and even though Naruto knew he could have easily perfected all the obstacles placed upon him he knew he had to purposely fail this. He still held the reputation of dead last among his class, he had the worst grades, the worst disciplinary record, and the worst performances in the practical tests within the academy. He ended with the worst grades in the exams and of course Sasuke ended up with the highest.

Even though he failed Naruto didn't care, none of them knew of his true capabilities and he knew learning from Kakashi that underestimating one's opponent is the gravest mistake anyone cane make. Complacency and arrogance can easily cost a ninja his or her life.

Naruto looked around his classmates and he remembered some of the good times and the bad times he's had in the class. In the class were three of the other dead lasts in the class, three of his only friends. There was Shikamaru Nara, Choki Akimichi and Kiba Inuzuka, Naruto tended to butt heads with the latter but overall, he got along with fine with those three. Their love for mischief and trouble made them somewhat close, and they were really the only classmates that didn't totally bully Naruto in his time in the academy.

The other notable students were Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyuga, Naruto had no real opinion of them seeing how shy and silent they were. The two rarely spoke and so Naruto neither liked nor disliked them, they were always just there in the class minding their own business. The Shino guy seemed alright to him, but the Hinata girl was very strange, but Naruto found her to be a very nice girl regardless.

Then there were the three fan girls. There was Ami, Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno. Naruto wasn't necessarily a fan of the Ami girl, he found her obnoxious, catty and annoying. As for Ino Yamanaka, Naruto thought she was quite pretty for their age, but she was far too much of a drama queen for his liking. He didn't mind her, but she got a bit too intense for him at times. Then there was Sakura Haruno, Naruto had a few run ins with her and even with the constant rejections Naruto couldn't help but continue to have a crush on the girl. He definitely got annoyed by the constant rejections and their obsession with Sasuke, but he still remained determined on Sakura. He's had a crush on her since the first day they met, and since then she's continued to plague his mind. He really wanted to just go and show off his true skills and to kick Sasuke's ass in front of everyone, but he knew he couldn't really do that seeing how it would blow his cover.

Then there was you guessed it, Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto's ultimate rival, he absolutely hated the guy and his guts. Naruto always thought that Sasuke was an arrogant and stuck up guy who felt superior to everyone, and he wanted nothing more than to put him in his place. But he knew that unfortunately he couldn't do that.

Naruto shook his head the second both Mizuki and Iruka arrived, the two of them read out the names of those who had passed, unsurprisingly his name wasn't called out and this was easily noticed by the class. Many began to mock him and insult him for failing as the dead last once more, and it also turned out that Sasuke was named Rookie of the Year. The girls in the class swooned over Sasuke as they all gathered to congratulate him, he remained unimpressed and uncaring about the accolades.

Iruka looked around and asked all the people that passed to come back to the class tomorrow at noon to name the new genin teams. With that final announcement the class was dismissed, Naruto stayed in his seat unmoving ignoring the audible insults and jeers directed at him by many of his fellow classmates, but as per usual he didn't give a flying fuck. He just had to put up a façade. Soon everyone in the classroom left aside from Naruto and Mizuki, the latter walked up to Naruto seeing the gloomy expression on the young man's face and he decided to approach him. He walked over to Naruto and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Naruto looked up at Mizuki and he only saw a solemn smile on his academy instructor's face, "Come with me to the roof Naruto, I think we need to have a talk" he said in a sincere tone.

* * *

 **Hokage's Office**

"Are you sure about this Naruto-kun?" asked the Hokage.

Naruto was kneeling down before the Hokage. He was wearing his ANBU armor and his blank white mask, "Hai Hokage-sama, Mizuki offered me another means of passing the test and it was by stealing the Scroll of Seals" he explained to the Hokage.

The Sandaime took a drag from his pipe as he nodded his head in understanding, "I see that is very unfortunate indeed" he replied, "Naruto I think it is about time for your initiation test into ANBU".

Naruto's eyes widened in shock, "What would you have me do Hokage-sama?" he asked in anticipation.

Hiruzen sighed regretting what must be done, "Naruto as you already know the missions of ANBU can be dark and dangerous. Most operatives have gone through psychological torment as a direct result from the work the village has them do. It is now time you finally prepare yourself for what is to come if you truly want to join ANBU. Naruto, I want you to neutralize the threat" he answered in a serious tone.

Naruto remained silent for a good twenty seconds as he evaluated what the Hokage had just ordered him to do, "You want me to kill him Hokage-sama?" he asked, Hiruzen sighed and nodded.

"Unfortunately, it must come to this, you had to do this eventually and now is the time to do it. Killing is never right Naruto but its better you get this over with and learn that sometimes it has to be done. There have been times where I have been far too merciful and that has come back to haunt me" he stated as he thought about his wayward student, "Your first kill will always stick to your mind and it will always haunt you. But at least you sleep easy knowing you neutralized a threat that could have gone on to kill innocent people"

Naruto gulped as sweat dripped down his forehead, he knew he had to do this eventually, but it shook him learning that today was actually the day. And this wasn't to a random individual, this was to someone he knew personally.

"I hate having to order this you know Naruto-kun, but this is the job description of not only ANBU but of ninjas. I regret every kill I've ever made, but my biggest regret to this day remains sparing someone I should have killed a long time ago. My sensei told me the same thing when I was young, sometimes you have to take the burden of killing onto yourself so that others could rest and live easily and peacefully. It never gets better Naruto-kun but it has to be done"

Naruto sighed and collected his nerves before nodding, "Hai Hokage-sama, I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to train for ANBU. I will handle this mission myself and I will return with the traitor being neutralized. I know it won't be easy, but I swore to protect Konoha, and I plan to uphold that promise" he replied.

"Very well Naruto, for your initiation test for ANBU I order you to find and kill Mizuki"

With that said Naruto quickly vanished from the Hokage's office, with Naruto disappearing Hiruzen could only sigh as he took yet another large drag from his pipe.

"The ninja world can be unforgiving Naruto-kun, I just hope that you don't close yourself off like so many did before you"

* * *

 **Outskirts of Konoha**

Mizuki stood in a forest clearing outside of Konoha waiting for the arrival of Naruto, he had himself prepared with shuriken and other forms of weaponry. The second Naruto arrives he was going to go kill him for what he had done to Konoha thirteen years before.

He waited for twenty for minutes until a small figure arrived and called out to him from the distance.

"Mizuki, you are to surrender to me for the crimes you have committed against Konoha" said the voice, the Chunin looked for the source of the voice and in fact saw Naruto standing there in this strange new getup far different from his usual orange jumpsuit.

Mizuki could only burst out in laughter, "Stop playing around Naruto so do you have the scroll or not?" he asked in a sickly fake tone.

Naruto shook his head before throwing five shuriken towards the Chunin, Mizuki noticed this and scowled before jumping away to avoid the hits of the shuriken.

"I see you're really not here to give me a scroll are you brat. Why are you here then you little shit?" the Chunin yelled with malice in his voice.

Naruto remained unfazed as he finally went face to face with the real Mizuki, "I had a feeling all that good teacher bullshit was a ruse by you. You always pegged me as a snake Mizuki, I'm here to bring you in to the officers of Konoha…Alive or dead" he threatened.

Mizuki once more burst out in laughter, "Like you can kill me dead last" he yelled mocking Naruto, "In your past life you were quite skilled in murder but now you couldn't even kill a bug. You're nothing but a weakling, a failure for a demon"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "A demon you say?" he asked out of interest.

"Oh, that's right you don't know don't you, you're the Kyuubi. You're the same demon who attacked Konoha thirteen years ago" Mizuki yelled out in anger before throwing a few explosive tags at Naruto. The young blonde jumped back to avoid the explosives, his face remained unaffected and emotionless despite the declarations made by his former academy teacher.

"The Yondaime died sealing the Kyuubi into you many years ago, you murdered the Yondaime you demon freak. I will be known as a hero of Konoha once they learn of how I managed to slay the Kyuubi itself" he yelled, "How does it feel finally learning the truth of why everyone loathed you, why they abused you, why they hurt you and why they denied the attention you craved so much"

Naruto continued to remain unfazed by the declaration, it then unnerved Mizuki when he saw a small grin form on Naruto's face and a small dark chuckle emerge from the young man's mouth.

"I've been having suspicions of that for the past few months, I've been reading up on Jinchuuriki recently Mizuki-teme and now you've just confirmed it for me. I should be thanking you I've been wondering for months now whether I really was a Jinchuuriki but now I really know" he admitted.

Mizuki was surprised he expected Naruto to lose his cool or to go emotional upon the realization, but instead Naruto was calm.

"See here's the problem teme, you expected me to spiral into this self-depression but I for a fact know that I'm not the Kyuubi. It is the insolence and ignorance of people like you that truly makes you the demon between the two of us"

"You take that back you fucking freak, how dare you compare me to you. I don't have the blood of thousands upon thousands of Konoha people on my hands" Mizuki yelled in anger before throwing the gigantic shuriken strapped to his back.

Naruto saw this and simply unsheathed his katana the second the shuriken came close to him, as a result he managed to deflect the shuriken towards a nearby tree instead.

"I don't have the blood of thousands of Konoha civilians, but by the end of tonight I'll have the blood of a Konoha traitor on my hands" he declared before vanishing with a speed Mizuki had yet to see. Within a second Naruto appeared in a blur in front of Mizuki and before he could react the blonde plunged the katana straight into the traitor's stomach. Mizuki couldn't say a word or react, he was far too shocked at what had just happened. He fell down to two knees in front of Naruto.

The blonde stared at Mizuki with empty and hollow eyes, he grabbed his katana straight out of the man's abdomen. Naruto placed the blade by Mizuki's neck, he knew that even though this man was a traitor he didn't deserve to suffer for too long, he had to give him a quick death.

Tears began to cascade down Naruto's eyes as his hands grew shaky, blood spurted down Mizuki's mouth and guts and with the last of the Chunin's strength he looked up to Naruto and glared at him.

"Kill me you fucking demon" he said in a meek tone, Naruto steeled himself sliced off the man's head. As soon as his severed head rolled onto the ground Naruto dropped into his knees. He was angry at Mizuki for everything he had said and done but the feeling he got for his first ever kill haunted him. The Hokage was right the first was never easy and he was sure it would never get easier.

Naruto then ran towards a nearby tree needing to vomit, the surge of emotions and the smell of blood made him sick. He continued to vomit endlessly until there was nothing left to spew. The young blonde sighed before grabbing the storage scroll on his bag, there he placed the body of Mizuki and he made his way back to the Hokage's office. The stench of blood still covering him, he couldn't believe it he had finally lost the childhood innocence he once held by having his first ever kill.

* * *

 **Hokage's Office**

Hiruzen waited patiently in his office alongside Kakashi, Yugao and Yamato, after a couple more minutes a bloody Naruto arrived through the windows and there he regrettably handed a storage scroll to the Hokage. Hiruzen already knew what was inside the storage scroll and he decided to not dwell on that.

"Welcome back Naruto-kun, I can see that you're first mission was a success and as such for your bravery and the skill you showed in vanquishing one of Konoha's enemies we have all decided it is time for you to finally join the ranks of ANBU" said the Hokage.

Hiruzen walked over to his desk and laid out five masks for Naruto to choose from. There was a spider mask, wolf mask, leopard mask, horse mask and last but not least a fox mask. The Hokage saw Naruto's eyes glued to the fox mask and he decided to intervene.

"Naruto-kun the masks for spider, wolf, leopard and horse have all been vacated for recent retirements and transfers. If there are any other animal codenames you wish to be known I'm sure we could arrange something"

"Hokage-sama what about the fox mask, tell me about that" he asked surprising everyone in the room. The tension was slowly rising but Naruto definitely seemed most interested in the fox mask out of the ready available ones.

"Naruto-kun the fox mask has been vacated and it hasn't been worn for the past seven years. Many believe it to be a cursed mask with the Kyuubi's attack many years ago and all" explained the Hokage.

"That and the past six users of the mask have all died a gruesome death, none of them reaching more than a year from wearing that mask. It's strongly believed to be a cursed mask Naruto" Kakashi added.

Despite the dangerous reputation of the mask Naruto's interest remained adamant, "If it's all the same to you guys I want the fox mask" he said with a wide grin.

Hiruzen sighed knowing how stubborn Naruto could be, "Are you sure about that Naruto? The fox mask tends to have a controversial standing with the ANBU and it has quite the negative reputation" he said hoping he would change his mind.

But of course, Naruto was decided, "That's fine I know what I want Hokage-sama and I want the fox mask" he declared as the Hokage sighed.

"Very well Naruto" he said before handing Naruto the ANBU mask with the fox design. Naruto quickly grabbed the mask and ran his hands across it, a smile graced his lips knowing this was the one for him. He wore the mask for the first time and he knew then and there that it was the perfect fit.

"What'll be my new codename Hokage-sama?" asked Naruto.

Hiruzen thought about it for a sec but then a single name popped up in his head, "Naruto you're ANBU codename from now will be Inari" he answered.

"Inari?" asked the blonde.

"Inari is the god of foxes in the Shinto religion, very fitting for yourself Naruto-kun"

Naruto grinned undeath the mask, "Inari, I like that" he muttered softly.

* * *

 **Glossary**

Kanchi no Jutsu - Sensing Technique

Henge - Transformation Technique

Bunshin no Jutsu - Clone Technique

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - Shadow Clone Technique

Kawarimi – Body Replacement Technique

Shunshin No Jutsu - Body Flicker Technique

 **Author's Note**

Yo guys hoped you liked the latest chapter it was a bit dark but hope you guys enjoyed it. I made Naruto quite strong here but not really OP he's definitely the strongest in his class but he's no Kakashi or Itachi when they were his age. Anyway, I plan on updating the other stories soon, but thanks for waiting fam. Remember please favorite, follow and review my story please guys. Also, if you have any suggestions of questions please leave a review or hit me up with a PM. Thanks fam peace out


	3. Ramen Chef

Inari

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

 **Author's Notice: Hey guys here's the latest chapter of Inari, I decided to update a few of my stories before Christmas to show you guys how much your support means to me. I decided to get out of my lazy ass and work on my stories and here they are. Check out The Legendary Three and the Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage as well since those were the other two stories I updated today.**

 **Thanks, so much guys for all the support you've given me throughout the year it is much appreciated everyone. I would also like to wish all you guys an amazing and merry Christmas and hopefully a lit new year's. You guys are all awesome and thank you so much all you guys.**

 **I'd also like your help and opinion on this one, this story will continue to be NaruSaku but I'm unsure on whether if I should possibly add a few more romantic interests for Naruto, maybe making it a small harem of four. The people in mind for the harem now will be Sakura of course, other than her there's Ino, Ayame, TenTen, maybe Hinata and maybe even FemHaku. So, tell me what you guys think.**

 **Please continue the support please, favorite and follow the stories if you haven't already. If you guys also have any questions, suggestions or whatever feel free to leave a review or hit me up by sending me a pm. I'll try to answer your questions, thanks again guys.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Ramen Chef**

Naruto's induction test into ANBU had been a major stepping stone in his early career thus far, since then he had finally passed his training and has officially been named an ANBU operative of Konoha. Unfortunately for him however the weeks went on and on without him being named for a single ANBU mission. Despite his official status as a member of the secret organization the truth was he still lacked the skill, experience and power needed to be fully deployed in the standard ANBU missions and because of that Hiruzen has continued to hold him to the sidelines for now at least. But Hiruzen knew he couldn't keep him caged much longer, eventually there would be a mission suitable for him and when that happens despite his hesitations he'll know when to deploy him.

He trusted the boy, but he just couldn't help but feel worried seeing how he considered Naruto as his own grandson, he wouldn't want to send him out on missions that could possibly see him never coming back. However, this was the reality of the ninja world, all ninjas know what they're getting themselves into the second they decide to pursue a career in this field.

Naruto however was not fazed by the lack of missions, he was still recovering mentally and emotionally from his first kill. No one ever said it was going to be easy, but Naruto never expected it to have the effect it had on him. He didn't even like Mizuki but that didn't stop him from feeling pain and guilt for his death despite the former academy teacher's betrayal of the village.

Instead with no missions coming around just yet Naruto continued training, but as of late he had been training by himself on most days. Yamato was somewhat busy with his life understandably, Yugao had other things to worry about and was being sent on missions here and there, while Kakashi had been given his own genin team though not from his own choice.

Of course, from all the people Kakashi had to get in his team, Naruto knew it had to be his rival in the academy, Sasuke Uchiha. Accompanying the raven-haired boy was none other than his crush, Sakura Haruno. The third and final member was just one of the other people in the classes, a young boy named Yashiro Kuma. From what Naruto remembered he wasn't anything outstanding but he was relatively skilled enough to pass off as a genin.

Without any of his ANBU superiors to train him, Naruto would continue to train in the Forest of Death. It was simply the perfect place to hone one's skills and Naruto found it to be his favorite training spot in Konoha. It simply had enough room to train devastating jutsus, and it had enough privacy where you wouldn't have to worry about anyone else but yourself.

During these days Naruto tended to train in his elemental manipulation. After Naruto had completed his basic training with Kakashi many years before they began to delve into the basics of elemental manipulation and from that Naruto learned about his affinity for wind. Unfortunately, this was the one element Kakashi was not fully knowledgeable in and so instead of teaching Naruto wind manipulation, the masked Jonin instead supplied Naruto with scrolls, books and guides on that element.

Meanwhile to make up for this Kakashi instead began to teach Naruto another element, and for that they chose lightning. From years training in both wind and lightning, Naruto began to be somewhat skilled in both elements. Nowhere near the levels of an expert but skilled enough to earn the appraisal of his masked sensei.

Other than that, the young blonde continued to train his kenjutsu and taijutsu religiously, and although Naruto was skilled in elemental manipulation he simply had a keen interest in shurikenjutsu, kenjutsu and even clone Jutsus.

* * *

 **With Naruto**

The young blonde boy was quickly walking up the stairs of the Hokage's tower intent of reaching the old man's office. His training earlier today had been cut short by a message telling him to head over to the Sandaime as soon as possible, and so of course he begrudgingly had to stop his training for now at least.

Upon climbing up the stairs he quickly gave the Hokage's secretary a small smile and wave which he returned, he then entered the room only to find the Hokage waiting patiently for him as he smoked from his famous pipe.

"Hey Jiji, what's up?" the young blonde asked nonchalantly.

Hiruzen took yet another drag from his pipe before staring down at the young blonde, "Unfortunately Naruto-kun some people in the council has been asking about you. They know you failed the genin exam, but of course they didn't know it was on purpose. Anyway, you are more than aware of your status as a Jinchuuriki by now and as such they are becoming more and more suspicious and there have been talks on delegating a few ninjas to spy on you and your activity" he explained.

"Wait but why?"

"To be frank many are still afraid of you and now that they think you are no longer in the running to join the shinobi forces of Konoha they want to control and tame you within Konoha. They wish to control you as if you were some puppet to ensure that you wouldn't bring harm to the village, and that you wouldn't release the Kyuubi for anything. With them still being weary and afraid of you it would not be wise if they learned that you're in ANBU"

"Why would they worry if I was in ANBU?"

"It means that you would be getting stronger and like I said they still remain afraid. They don't know you or the real you, I'm sure they think of you in a bad light and as such they cannot see it in themselves to trust you. They believe you may one day finish the job started thirteen years ago"

Naruto nodded in understand, "You're right jiji that does sound bad. What do you plan on doing then?" he asked.

"I recommend making an alibi" he replied, "We want them to continue to see you as a civilian and not a ninja. If you had become an official ninja in the Konoha rosters the people in the council would continue to remain skeptical of you. They would continue to argue amongst themselves on whether to trust you or not. But if they believe you to be an ordinary citizen then they will have nothing to fear when it comes to you, they may hold a grudge, but they'd be far less inclined to monitor your every movement or control your life as if you were a mere puppet"

"What would be my alibi though?"

The Sandaime merely chuckled as a small grin graced his face, "Naruto-kun I think I have the perfect job for you" he said.

* * *

 **Ichiraku's Ramen**

"So, let me get this right Naruto-kun, you want to apply here in our shop? What happened to being Hokage?" Teuchi asked.

Naruto merely shrugged, "Unfortunately I failed again, I took a long hard look at myself after that and realized the ninja life simply wasn't for me. But I knew from an early age that ramen was my second passion and because of that instead of becoming the world's greatest ninja, I want to be the world's greatest ramen chef" he declared proudly.

Teuchi smiled as he stared into the fire burning in Naruto's eyes, he could tell that Naruto was determined and he could see a bit of himself in the young man. He knew that Naruto was fully aware of their recipe and how to cook and serve their ramen, he had been eating there all his life practically and he had been their best customer for years on end. If anyone knew ramen outside of him and his daughter, it would be Naruto and truth be told they were lacking some help recently.

"You know what Naruto, you got the job can you start tomorrow?" Teuchi asked with a large smile on his face.

"Of course, I'll be here" Naruto exclaimed before giving Teuchi a patented thump up and a foxy grin.

* * *

 **With Naruto**

The blonde had a standard first day at the job, there had been quite a few customers rolling in, but it wasn't anything special, just another standard Tuesday afternoon at Ichiraku's Ramen.

It wasn't until later that night that things got interested, Naruto had recognized some of the customers walking in the restaurant. It was none other than Team Seven consisting of Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura and the other kid Yashiro. Naruto sported a large grin upon seeing the familiar faces.

"Hey guys long time no see what can I get you?" yelled the energetic blonde grabbing the attention of the team.

Sakura's eyes widened in shock upon seeing the young boy, "What the hell is that you Naruto? What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I work here now" he exclaimed happily.

Sasuke studied his old rival and scoffed, "I'm not even surprised" he replied in a disinterested tone.

Naruto scowled, "Shut the fuck up teme, I could kick your ass easily" he answered back confidently.

Sasuke merely chuckled, "Please you're not even a genin dobe, let's not get ahead of ourselves"

"Cha yeah baka, don't go picking fights you can't win" said Sakura.

Yoshiro stood back just deciding not to say anything, he wasn't particularly close to Naruto, so he had nothing to say really. Kakashi on the other hand decided to break things up.

"Now, now guys we didn't come here to pick fights. You guys did well and worked hard in the D-Rank missions today and so we decided to go eat out" he said as he played the peacemaker in the group.

Sakura and Sasuke instantly stopped speaking instead sitting in the stools right in front of the chef. Kakashi then gave Naruto a nod, "So anyway how's it been going Naruto?" he asked.

The blonde merely shrugged, "Not bad, just been working among other things. Looking for things to do to kill the time. What about you Kakashi?" he replied.

"Same old, same old. Training genin is a completely unique experience than what I'm used to, but it is quite fun and it's a completely different challenge"

The three genin looked surprised at the interaction between the two, "Wait Kakashi-sensei, do you guys know each other?" asked Sakura.

Kakashi nodded, "Yeah we go way back" he replied vaguely.

"The hell? How do you guys know each other then?" Sasuke asked wondering how in Kami's name did Naruto have a past with such an accomplished ninja.

"That's for me and Naruto to know, and you guys to find out" Kakashi replied causing his three students to glare at him, Naruto watched and couldn't suppress a small chuckle from escaping his mouth.

"Anyway, enough of the talk, I'm sure you guys came here for something else" said the blonde.

"You're right Naruto, my team and I would like to order four pork ramen" said Kakashi.

Naruto listed down the order and decided to go start cooking the food, team seven watched as the young blonde from their class began to cook up a feast just for them. After fifteen minutes the meal for them was ready.

Sakura was the first to have a taste, her eyes widened in shock at how delicious the ramen was. She wasn't expecting much the second she realized Naruto was going to cook for them but had to admit he cooked a hell of a meal. She couldn't help but dig in further at the meal slurping the noodles and drinking the soup. Naruto watched the four eat as a smile adorned his face, he was glad they were enjoying his food.

As soon as the four were finished with their meals Naruto quickly grabbed their plates getting them ready to be washed, "So how was that guys?" he asked.

"Tch not bad I guess" Sasuke replied trying not to seem impressed, but he had to give props to the young man he cooked up a delicious meal despite ramen never having really been his type of food.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but this was delicious Naruto, where'd you learn to cook like that?" she asked curiously.

Naruto blushed at the girl's compliment, "I learned to cook myself and Sakura-chan I promise there is more where that came from" he said before walking over to the counter facing the pinkette, "Well if you become my girlfriend there'll be more where that came from. I'll cook you a meal anytime you want"

Sakura glared at Naruto before punching the flirting pervert away from her, "How many times do I need to say no baka. Now go away" she exclaimed.

Naruto laid on the ground dazed, "Just one date please?" he asked weakly.

"As if baka" she yelled.

Kakashi laughed at the predicament his protégé had put himself on, eventually the Jonin dismissed his team. Yoshiro made his way back home, Sakura asked if Sasuke would walk her home but of course the young Uchiha instead left without her causing her to walk back home somewhat disheartened.

Kakashi remained in the restaurant to chat with his student, "You seem to have quite the effect on my little kunoichi student Naruto" he chuckled as Naruto nursed his aching head.

"Don't worry sensei she'll come around eventually, this is the first part of my plan to win over her heart" he exclaimed confidently.

"Ah I should have known, you do have a way with women after all" the Jonin remarked dryly.

Naruto glared at the older man, "Oh please shut up, you don't even have a girlfriend you can't talk"

"I don't that's true but that's only because I choose not to"

The blonde nodded, "Fair enough, but still I'll succeed eventually just you wait" he replied.

Kakashi chuckled inwardly, he couldn't help but feel somewhat melancholic watching him interact with Sakura, it was if he was seeing Obito and Rin all over again, and with Sasuke being their version of Kakashi himself.

"Anyway Naruto it's been fun, me and my team will probably stop by eventually but I'll give you something to help with your pursuit of love" he said before throwing Naruto a copy of one of his Icha Icha books.

Naruto caught it and looked disappointed, "This perverted shit? Why would you give me this sensei?"

"Don't worry I have like seven more copies of that book at home" he replied.

The blonde looked at his sensei in slight disgust, "That's not what I was asking, and why the hell do you have seven?" he asked.

Kakashi shrugged, "Just in case, better safe than sorry" he replied.

"I don't need this perverted garbage, here take it back sensei"

The masked Jonin chuckled, "I'm afraid not. Remember one of my first rules Naruto, never judge a book by its cover. Give it a read before judging it as nothing but perverted smut. Like I said it may just be the answer to all your love life problems" he said cryptically before vanishing leaving a plume of smoke.

Naruto sighed, "Stupid pervert" he muttered to himself before briefly looking at the book in his hands, "I guess if Kakashi reads it repeatedly it wouldn't be too bad. Maybe I'll give it a try"

* * *

 **Weeks Later**

The days dragged on for Naruto, at first, he continued to work in Ichiraku's as a second chef and cashier, but after a few days of making an appearance Naruto merely left shadow clones to conduct the work instead giving Naruto a lot of free time to train. Of course, Teuchi and Ayame, and many of the customers were unaware that Naruto was merely a clone, and the young man couldn't help but smile knowing that the alibi plan the Hokage made was working perfectly.

Since Team Seven's initial visit, they eventually became reasonably regular customer due to Kakashi's insistence to eat at Ichiraku's. He decided to give his student a hand in wooing his girl by giving them as much interaction as he could.

This time however Naruto or rather his clone decided to steer clear from invoking Sakura's wrath seeing how a major punch from that girl could probably dispel his shadow clone thus breaking his alibi.

But eventually the weeks continued to pass, Team Seven continued on their D-Rank missions until they were given their first C-Rank mission to Nami no Kuni. Eventually even Naruto had finally been called by the Hokage apparently for his first proper mission for ANBU.

* * *

 **Hokage's Office**

Naruto stood in front of the Hokage in his proper ANBU attire, "You called for me Hokage-sama?" he asked as the Sandaime Hokage nodded.

"Hai Inari, I've decided it was finally time for you to participate in your first official ANBU mission and it will take place in Nami no Kuni. Team Seven consisting of Kakashi Hatake, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno and Yoshiro Kuma had reportedly been attacked by Zabuza Momochi of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Apparently Zabuza is working with a Kiri Hunter Nin and the Demon Brothers, with all of them being under the employment of the shipping tycoon known as Gato"

"I see what would you have me do Hokage-sama?"

"Initially this mission was meant to be a simple C-Rank mission escorting Tazuna-san back to his home, but it turns out our client had been withholding information from us to reduce the required pay. But Kakashi and his team had decided to carry on and are instead calling for reinforcements for when Zabuza and his Hunter Nin companion return. Kakashi had fought Zabuza on their way to Tazuna-san's home but during their fight both sustained heavy injuries and with Gato and the Hunter Nin also in the picture Kakashi knew he would need help since he was likely to be preoccupied with Zabuza"

"So, you're sending me to aid Kakashi-sensei?" asked Naruto.

The Hokage nodded, "Hai but it won't just be you, Yugao will be accompanying you. I debriefed her already earlier and today and she intends to meet you in your apartment in an hour. Pack your things as soon as you can and once Yugao comes get you the two of you will depart immediately to aid Kakashi." he said.

"Consider it done Hokage-sama, Team Seven will come back in one piece mark my words"

"Also, don't worry about your part time job in Ichiraku's, I spoke to Teuchi about the delicacy of your situation. I know it was meant to be kept a secret, but I knew we could trust him, he understands the schedule you work under and he will continue your employment as an alibi"

Naruto's eyes widened in shock, "You told him?" he asked.

Hiruzen nodded, "Yeah he knows about your situation and he's more than willing to give you the benefit of the doubt that he would keep it a secret as well. If anyone asks him about your absence he simply tells them that you are away picking up ingredients they ordered in from foreign lands. So that people won't speculate about your long absences" he replied.

"Very well, in that case Hokage-sama I better go start packing. I'll bring them back home safely jiji"

"Wait Naruto before you go there is one more thing, make sure to slightly alter your hair. The blonde spiky hair is a dead giveaway. Try and maintain a henge to hide that feature of yours"

Naruto nodded before instinctively changing his hair color to a deep red while still maintaining the spiky locks regardless.

Hiruzen's eyes widened at how Naruto simply decided to go for the same hair color as his mother, a few moments later he cooled himself, "I guess that will do Naruto, you're dismissed" he said.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Hey guys hoped you liked it. Please check out The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage and the Legendary Three as well for their updates. Please continue the support by giving my stories a favorite and a follow, and finally feel free guys to give me some suggestions or criticisms. Hit me up with either a pm or a review and I'll try answer your questions and concerns. Anyway, please tell me what you guys think about the pairing talk I was talking about at the top, whether it's a good idea. Finally thanks again everyone for the patience and support, merry Christmas everyone and a happy new year.


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